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Opinion on defense...


SonnyJ

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Statistically speaking, last year's D was top-notch, something like 4th in the league. This year's D has a more humble ranking (around 13th).

For some reason, though, I like this defense better. Maybe it's because they (seemingly) force more turnovers. Maybe it's because (again, seemingly) they seem to be more aggressive.

Whatever it is, I just remember by the end of the year last season I was pretty disgusted with the defense - which may have been a reflection of the team as a whole. I just didn't have faith that they would make a stop when they had to.

I have more confidence in this bunch, despite the low sack totals. Other than the KC game and both Dallas games, I've been pretty pleased with the performance on that side of the ball this season.

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someone needs to figure out what the defensive statistics are from the sixth game onward and where the d places in the league from that point onward. i bet the d is top 10 in scoring defense. pass defense seems about the same to me (vis last year), but run defense is definitely better. and presence (read lavar) has improved remarkably

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last year's team has to be separated into two categories, the 6-2 unit and the one that was 2-6.

you and most other Redskins fans have a memory of the defense giving up and allowing Emmitt Smith and Jerome Bettis to run all over the field the last couple of weeks of the regular season.

in fact, the Redskins defense played very well last year for the first 10 games or so. We got a lot of mileage out of older starters on the line and in the secondary.

things started to go south when the offense stopped scoring and when the wear and tear of the games started to be felt.

And that is the difference this season. The Redskins defense is NOT wearing down, but actually improving as the season goes on. Where last year's leaders were older veterans, this year they are the younger players for the most part. Arrington, Smoot, Pierce, etc..........

These players are getting better individually and as a group. And that is always gratifying to see.

The other factor is the poor start. The Redskins simply gave up too many points and too many yards in the 0-5 streak for the numbers to land us in the top 5-7 defenses unless we threw a string of shutouts on people coming down the stretch.

But if you look at the points allowed, we are giving up numbers in the teens most weeks. We are now getting turnovers by the defense, which were weren't getting last season or in the early stages of this season either.

The only thing we aren't getting is sacks. I think the pressure has been better the past couple of weeks, because of more calculated blitzing, but the Redskins still don't have that young stud on the front four to get after the qb and create havoc in the backfield.

As a byproduct of that, we don't get many holding penalties called on the opposition either as their 5 can usually block our 4. And that is not good over time.

But the calculated gamble in 2001 was that Smith and Coleman would hold up until we could get help in the 2002 offseason and draft.

Once they came back from injuries early on, I think both have played as well as they can, given their ages and their relative lack of size.

You are going to have trouble stopping the run at times when your ends are 267 and 264.

Those are just the facts of life. smile.gif

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If we had an offense as good as last years productivity wise

we'd top 5 defensively easily.

But with the number of 3 and out the has had it not surprising how are defense is ranked.

You have to believe our Defense can only get better when we get a true runstuffing DT and a pass rush from a DE.

But it will still be up to the offense to step up and give the rest of the team some help

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Take A Sip of the Marty KoolAid and Believe.

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this is what I was looking at a few weeks back. Before teh Philly game, we were right behind I think Philly and pittsburg as far as poins per game from game 6. I was extremely impressed with our defense this year. I dont think that it forced more turnovers this year though. As a matter of fact, I was upset because we didnt force turnovers or Blitz enough. But I'm willing to deal with that as long as we are stopping the run and defending the pass well.

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I think Navy Dave makes a real solid point about how our D would have benefited enormously from having a more competent offense. Early in the year, it was pretty much 3 and out. Later on, it was 7 and out or field goal attempt. smile.gif

Compared to last year's lame group, this year has been a lot more exciting. Personally, I love stories like Antonio Pierce getting serious playing time. Marty gives a lot of guys a lot of opportunities. Even Jerry DeLoach and Del Cowsette get in games. You at least have the feeling that we're trying to develop talent.

We're still woefully overmatched by that Cowboy offensive line, though.

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I wouldn't say it was entirely the youth. I think it's been moreso the 'role players'.

Eddie Mason just doesn't get enough credit around here smile.gif He has always been stellar in the few opportunities he's started. Most recently against the Saints.

Robert Jones has also stepped up when he has been called upon. How about Dave Szott and Ben Coleman? Kijana Carter or Zeron Flemister? Walter Rasby or Ethan Albright?

These are the types of players that Marty is often noted for; the guys who are often underappreciated. But if not for those players stepping up... these season would've been a lot worse.

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Accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days the statue.

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Prior to the season, I made an estimate that our defense was unlikely to achieve the same ranking as last year, but, at the end of the year, we'd ultimately feel it was a better defense in that it made a bigger impact on winning and losing.

While it is true this defense has been more impressive and a bigger part in controlling games for us this year than last year, my reasoning was way off base and I can't really explain WHY it is a better defense.

I predicted we'd see a TON of press man coverage. We didn't early and we struggled. We've seen man coverage late, but, it's not necessarily press man. And, in conjunction with that press man, I expected Marty would be heavy on the blitz. In fact, he's remarkably light on it.

We are creating a great number of turnovers, and the defense is very stingy, even more than last year in many ways. The only thing I see that we REALLY do better than last year is tackle. We are a solid tackling team and last year we had more moments of weakness. In all, I give Marty credit for having this unit performing at the level it is given the loss of Stubby, Smith, Sanders and Carrier before the season, and the loss of Barber during.

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Doom is in the box.

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I think a big reason that we have gotten better on defense is that we were conditioned to last longer in the off-season. There was a lot of talk about how outrageous the Oklahoma drill was, but that hard nosed, no-one-gets-a-break style of conditioning has served us well. We always faded under the soft Norv conditioning.

All these guys, even Darrell Green, can stand to be pushed beyond what they think they need. I hope next offseason Marty is able to give respect to the old guys without giving "favors" that soften the conditioning he has brought to this team.

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A little give and take from both sides will greatly benefit the team. We've seen that already. Hopefully both sides know that now and can head into next season with common goals.

Marty's rigidity is well-documented. It would benefit the team for him to soften up in some minor areas. That being said, I must say I have little sympathy for vets who think they don't need to work as hard as everyone else simply because they've been around so long. I have even less sympathy when those vets become a devisive force over the issue. Bruce, in particular, left a bad taste in my mouth this past season.

I can't imagine Walter Payton or Jerry Rice acting like that.

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It wasn't just the last part of the season with last year's defense. Even early on, it seemed, when the chips were down, the other team was able to score.

I'm thinking about the Carolina game, the Detroit game, the Dallas game, Tampa scoring 10 in the final two minutes to tie, Tennessee marching right down the field after the Redskins got close. The clincher was letting McNabb run all over the place when that was the only way Philly could produce anything offensively.

It was good statistically, but it just didn't "feel" like a tough defense. This year's unit does.

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